No one is perfect.

I’m sitting here watching the new season of Queer Eye on Netflix and crying my eyes out–literally–with every episode. (If you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, do yourself a serious favor and go watch it! You won’t regret it).

The moment in particular that sparked my motivation to write this post was between Tan–a gay man, and Skyler–a trans man. In an emotional scene, Tan openly admits that he did not understand the plight that trans people like Skyler have had to experience, and that his ignorance towards this struggle made him feel silly.

I bring this up to say that, in my opinion:

One of the most appealing attributes a human being can have is the ability to acknowledge their ignorance or wrongfulness in a situation, and then putting their pride aside to be educated on the matter.

So frequently, I see people become frustrated with someone or with a situation because they disagree with/don’t understand what’s going on or why it’s happening. It could be a difference in politics, ideals, religions, you name it. From my own observations, when there is a lack of understanding, it directly correlates with fear–fear of the unknown.

Because there is fear of the unknown, it’s so easy for people to judge, resort to arguments, fights, stonewalling, or having an “us vs. them” mentality.

It becomes easier to keep this ignorant state of mind, rather than choosing to exert the effort needed to learn something new about the other party.

I understand that no one is perfect. And a lot of beliefs and characteristics are dependent on a person’s upbringing, and surrounding community. People in general don’t like to change.

But that is why I love the people who care. Those who choose to take the time necessary to understand another’s perspective, even if it’s foreign, or clashes with their own point of view.

So Tan, I appreciate people like you.

You give me hope.